Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,133

on Friday for dinner.” I chuckle at Matthew’s bashfulness.

“Honored?” Jake asks in surprise. “I wonder if she’ll still feel that way once she’s actually sitting at the table with us.”

I slap Jake’s arm, and he cowers. “Hey, we’re not that bad. I’m sure she’ll love us. We’ll certainly do our best to make her feel welcome, Matthew.” He smiles at me in gratitude. “Right, I’m heading upstairs. I really need to take a shower.”

I make my way to the stairs with Jake following behind. I set myself down on the bed, feeling exhausted from the day. I rub my shoulder and sigh.

Jake points to my shoulder. “Is that sore?”

“A little,” I admit.

“Hold on one moment.” Jake rushes to the bathroom, and I quickly hear the sound of running water. Once done, he walks back over to where I’m sitting and starts rubbing my shoulders. I moan my appreciation.

“Is that good?”

I nod, humming my approval. “Hmm, yes, thank you.”

We stay like that for a while until the bath’s full. “Right, I think this is ready for you.”

I begin to get up, but Jake stops me and picks me up. “You know, I’ve just remembered the funniest thing,” I say.

“Uh huh … and what’s that?” he asks.

“There’s this part of everyone’s anatomy called legs. They’re a marvelous invention. I believe they were invented to enable us to walk. I’ve been told they will catch on one day, but I’m not sure you’ve quite got the gist of that yet.” I smile at him cheekily, causing him to chuckle with an amused shake of his head.

“I just love carrying you everywhere. Especially if it means holding you close to me.”

How can I possibly argue with that?

Jake takes special care of me after that. He undresses me and carefully places me in the bath. He bathes me tenderly, not once trying to squeeze a nipple or cop a feel … nothing like that. I almost feel neglected, and I wonder if Jake feels repulsed by me after what’s happened. This sudden thought—silly or not—has me panicking.

Once he finishes bathing me, he gently lifts me out of the bath and towels me dry. Again, he doesn’t touch me or linger his gaze on me the way he used to. The concept threatens to bring tears to my eyes. The quick stabbing in my throat helps me to hold them back. I know I’m being unreasonable, but after what’s happened to me, I don’t feel very reasonable. Despite everything that’s taken place, I still want him to desire me.

He disappears for a few moments then walks back with a white, fitted, slip-on nightie. He carefully slides it over my head and takes me to the bed where he makes sure I’m comfortable.

“Better?” he asks.

“Much better, thank you.”

He gets up to leave, making me panic. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back. I’m just going to talk to Matthew for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

He wanders off, leaving me feeling a bit hollow. Normally, Jake’s all over me by now. He’s always known how to make me feel wanted and special, but now there’s nothing. Instead, I feel isolated and undesirable. The thought—although stupid—rattles me to my very core.

Knowing my feelings are silly, I turn around to one side, grabbing the sheets and hugging them to me. Jake makes his entrance a little after that.

“I told Matthew we were having an early night. I just thought it would be nice to hold you for a while before we went to sleep. Tomorrow, we can do whatever you want.”

“What about work?” I ask.

“Don’t be silly,” he answers, a little miffed. “I’m not leaving you on your own. I’ve taken a couple of days off so that I can take care of you.”

He gets undressed down to his boxer shorts and climbs in. Once there, he slides himself over to me, and we’re soon spooning.

I wait for him to do something—anything—for quite a while, but I’m disappointed once again. I know my fear is unwarranted, but I can’t hold my insecurity in any longer.

“Jake?” I whisper.

“Yeah, babe?”

I sigh, wondering if I can ask him. After all the shit I’ve been though, I just feel so vulnerable right now. “Why don’t you want to touch me?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re here with me, but you won’t touch me. Do you not want me anymore?”

His head snaps up as he pulls me over to face him. “You don’t realize how much it kills me not to touch you. I have been